NEW DELHI, July 26: No Kashmiri Pandit working under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) has resigned in protest against the killings of fellow community members in the Valley by terrorists, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said in Lok Sabha today.
Rai also said that a total of 5,502 Kashmiri Pandits have been provided Government jobs in different departments of Jammu and Kashmir administration in the Kashmir valley under the PMDP.
“As per the information provided by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, no Kashmiri Pandit working under the Prime Minister’s Development Package has resigned in protest against the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit in Kashmir valley,” Rai said replying to a written question.
The Minister of State for Home said the Government has approved construction of 6,000 transit accommodations for the Kashmiri migrant employees engaged or to be engaged in different departments of the Jammu and Kashmir Government in the Valley.
Rai last week had said that as many as 118 civilians, including five Kashmiri Pandits and 16 other Hindus and Sikhs, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
He had also said no Kashmiri Pandit migrated from the Valley since August 2019.
Rai said 28 migrant workers, including seven from Bihar, were killed in Jammu and Kashmir since 2017.
In another written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Rai also said there has been a substantial decline in the number of terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir — from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021.
However, the Minister said, there have been a few targeted attacks on people belonging to minority communities and migrant workers by terrorists sponsored from across the border.
“As per the information provided by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, 28 migrant workers have been killed since 2017, out of which two belonging to Maharashtra, one from Jharkhand and seven from Bihar,” he said.
Rai said the Government has taken several steps for the safety of minorities, including putting in place a robust security and intelligence grid, day and night area domination, patrolling and proactive operations against terrorists. (PTI)
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